Bonolo Kgaile, violin student at the Mangaung Strings development project in Bloemfontein, won gold at the 22nd Sanlam National Music Competition in Parow this past weekend. Bonolo, a learner at Bloemfontein’s Sentraal High, is a student of Francois Henkins. She was also announced winner of the strings category prize for development candidates, a category only introduced this year.

Seventy participants from around South African competed in the first two rounds of the competition at the Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre during the course of last week. Twenty-three participants progressed to the third round on Friday, while eight, four pianists, three violinists and one clarinet player, made it through to the final round and Gala event on Friday evening.

Hot on Bonolo’s heels, in a tie for silver, were Danielle Rossouw (12) on clarinet and Henley Jun on piano. Pianist Landi Schaap (11) from Lynnwood, Pretoria and student of Claudine van Breda, took bronze. Jun (12), from Rhenish Primary at Stellenbosch and student of Mario Nell, also claimed the piano category prize.

Danielle, in grade 7 at Welgemoed Primary in Bellville and student of Leon Hartshorne of the Hugo Lambrechts Music Centre in Parow, won the section Woodwinds & Brass. She was also awarded the prize for the best execution of a South African composition for her interpretation of Hendrik Hofmeyr’s Canto Notturno, plusthe Tygerberg Prize for the best participant instructed by a member of the SASMT: Tygerberg.

In the Strings category the winner was eleven-year old violinist Nicholas Bosman, a Grade 5 learner at Mikro in Kuils River and student of Elzaan Coetzee. In the category Other Instruments, the winner was Althea Steynberg, also eleven and a recorder student of Tiensie-Louise Lategan, from Roodepoort.

Eight-year old Iman Bulbulia, from Kingsmead Primary in Johannesburg and a piano student of Anna Chen, was considered the most promising participant in the age group 10 and younger.

The four category winners also received Unisa bursaries for their next exams at this university.

In the category for students in music development programmes, joint prizes were awarded to clarinet players Kelly-Ann Bailey (13) from the Silversands programme and Chad Chetty (13) from the Eastern Cape Philharmonic Music investment Project. Violinist Ramabole Rampeta (12) from Mangaung Strings and cellist Sakie Ndala (13) also received prizes.

The competition is presented annually in four categories by the Tygerberg Branch of the South African Society of Music Teachers. The participants are selected after auditions in the main centres of SA. The purpose of the competition remains to identify promising music learners and to give them the opportunity to compete at national level at an early age. It is the only national competition in South Africa aimed at such young musicians.